-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 14-year-old Filipino-American boy abducted in July by suspected Islamic militants in the Philippines is free , officials said .

Kevin Lunsmann was reunited with his mother , the U.S. Embassy in Manila said Monday , without offering additional details .

`` It was a tough time . It was a tough five months , '' Kevin 's father , Heiko , told CNN affiliate WSET , from the family home in Lynchburg , Virginia . `` I 'm just so happy . ''

Heiko Lunsmann said the boy had plotted his escape for a while and eventually seized the opportunity some time late last week while his guards slept .

He `` was spotted alone '' Saturday about six miles southwest of Lamitan City on the island of Basilan , a stronghold of the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf , the official Philippines News Agency said .

Army officials turned him over to American forces in the southern Mindanao region , the Philippine government said in a statement to CNN affiliate TV 5 .

The Philippine Inquirer quoted the Lamitan city mayor , Roderick Furigay , as saying Kevin walked for two days , surviving on candies his captors presumably gave him and on coconuts that he retrieved by climbing trees .

`` In this holiday season nothing makes me happier than knowing that an innocent victim is returned to his family in time for holiday celebrations , '' Harry Thomas , the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines , said in a weekend statement .

`` If ever we are to be inspired by the human spirit , we should take comfort in the courage , commitment and love that the Lunsmann family exhibited during this trying ordeal , '' Thomas added .

Fourteen gunmen snatched Kevin , his mother , Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann , and his 19-year-old cousin , Romnick Jakaria , in July while they vacationed on the island of Tictabon , authorities said . The abductors forced them to board awaiting boats , which then sped off in the direction of Basilan .

Kevin 's mother was released by her captors in October . Jakaria was released last month , according to the news agency .

Basilan serves as a base for Abu Sayyaf , which wants to establish a separate state for the Philippines ' minority Muslim population . The U.S. State Department considers the group a terrorist organization and says it is linked to al Qaeda . The Philippines government has been fighting to contain the militants .

Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for several terrorist attacks in the Philippines , including the bombing of a ferry in 2004 that left about 130 people dead , as well as past kidnappings .

Basilan 's governor called on authorities Sunday to prosecute the alleged kidnappers of the Lunsmann family , according to the news agency .

`` The prosecution of kidnappers by a court of law will put a stop to kidnappings , '' the news agency quoted Jum Akbar as saying .

Thomas , the U.S. ambassador , said the crime will not go `` unpunished . ''

Gerfa Lunsmann was adopted by Americans when she was 9 and grew up in Virginia . She eventually married a German citizen . Both she and the son , Kevin , are U.S. passport holders .

Kevin 's father told WSET that the boy will eventually share his story of escape , but did not say when .

`` I can tell you a lot of things , but I only know that he is a hero , '' he said .

Read more about this story from CNN affiliate WSET .

@highlight

NEW : Kevin 's father tells CNN affiliate the boy had plotted his escape for a while

@highlight

`` An innocent victim is returned to his family , '' the ambassador says

@highlight

Report : Kevin walked for two days , surviving on candies and coconut

@highlight

His mother and cousin were released earlier